This is part 5 in a series about the executive MBA global network course at Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. Read all the stories here

On Day 5, students had the option to attend a workshop on company valuation and financial spreadsheets. This session taught students about the formulas used to construct the appropriate spreadsheets, the right questions to ask and the significance of the numbers on the valuation sheets presented.

Professor Wade’s IT course concluded with a poignant case. The challenge was to design a solution that eliminates stock outs of Malaria vaccine in order to save the lives of the people infected.

After 5 days of intensive class work, students were excited to apply principles learned to their careers.

“The live-in course at Kellogg-Schulich is all about connecting the unexpected: excellent international EMBA students that come from diverse and rich backgrounds, top notch professors and extremely relevant and important courses in IT strategy and M&A in a holistic approach,” said Ala Sader KR 18, Co-CEO of MEET. “All of it combined together provided a unique learning experience in an international setting that enhanced and empowered the executives of tomorrow.”

This is part 4 in a series about the executive MBA global network course at Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. Read all the stories here

On Friday, classes opened with an interactive session that emphasized the interplay between mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and IT.

Students were split into three main groups, categorized as a top management team (TMT), sales & marketing team and IT team for two separate companies with different versions of a case study. The case study was based on a real case between a Canadian-based and American-based company. Students participated in presentations, negotiations, alignment strategies and recommendations. After hours of heated debate, guest speaker Jon Bowes, head of M&A Integration for PWC, spoke to students about the real companies that the case study was based on, explaining many of the cultural nuances, dynamics and tensions that went on during the deal.

“There are plenty of examples of major corporate mergers and acquisitions that failed because of an inability to understand and overcome the technology challenges during integration,” Jeff Forrest KS 13, Manager at L.E.K Consulting, said. “We’re all likely to go through at least one big merger through our careers, so it was useful to be able to explore these issues when my job and company aren’t on the line!”

After a productive day on campus, the students boarded the bus to explore Niagara Falls and connect with each over an enjoyable dinner at the Skylon Tower.

This is part 3 in a series about the executive MBA global network course at Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. Read all the stories here

Day three featured guest speaker Marshall (Mickey) Cohen, former president and CEO of Molson Companies, Ltd., who served in various appointments in the Canadian government. During the session, Cohen discussed his personal experience with M&A and concluded that “people matter” in every company. Finally, Cohen suggested that a decision that drives a company’s growth and legacy must be based on both human judgment and relevant data.

Later, Enterprise IT professor Michael Wade presented ‘Developing a Social Media Strategy,’ which taught students the importance of a social media strategy to capture knowledge, identify objectives, improve customer service, develop or improve products and to innovate. They also learned about key social media features, Google’s formula for top search picks and the dangers of bad media coverage.

This is part 2 in a series about the executive MBA global network course at Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. Read all the stories here

Day 2 kicked off with Professor Theodore Peridis’s Mergers and Acquisitions introductory session. Peridis began the class by citing examples of reputable companies like Facebook and IBM that have recently merged or acquired. Peridis posed an intriguing question: If mergers and acquisitions have a 70-90% failure rate, why do companies take the risk? After the lecture, students also learned how to ask the right questions in a mergers and acquisitions workshop. Continue Reading

Students from across the Kellogg Executive MBA Global Network convened in Toronto at York University – Schulich School of Business Oct. 28 – Nov. 2 to take classes, tour the city and immerse themselves in the local business marketplace.Continue Reading

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